Sparta Bertrange moved up to 2nd place after this 88-56 home win over Basket Esch, while Basket Esch stayed 5th despite a one-place gain in the classification. Christian Wulff's team had to work through a competitive first half before the gap opened.
The start belonged to Sparta, with an 8-0 burst and Ata Tastekin (17, 1.91m) setting the tone early. Basket Esch reacted well: Tommy Kamewe Nguedia committed two fouls in a row in the opening minutes, but his team still settled into the game and cut the deficit several times. After Sparta led 22-20 at the first break, Esch even edged in front at 28-27 in the second quarter. That was the key warning moment for Sparta.
From 30-30, Sparta produced the decisive stretch: an 11-0 run to 41-30 before halftime. That changed the rhythm of the game. Ari Marinosson (16, 1.99m) was very effective inside, and Tastekin kept punishing the defense around the rim. In the third quarter, Nazem Verbecque answered for Esch with five quick points to trim the score to 47-35, but Sparta answered again and never let the margin fall back into single digits.
The last quarter confirmed Sparta's control. After 75-53, the home side went on another 11-0 run to 86-53, and the highest lead reached 32 points at 88-56.
Tastekin finished as Sparta's top scorer with 20 points, followed by Marinosson with 14, Maximiliaan Flechtner with 13 and Yann Kunzer da Silva with 11. For Basket Esch, Alexandre Kremer led with 15 points, while Verbecque and Kevin Nnganyadi added 8 each, and captain Maël Gevrey scored 7. Sparta is now on a two-game winning start; Basket Esch has opened with two losses.
(AI generated)